good reads : Mollie Makes Crochet + a giveaway!

Hello my lovelies! I'm running a wee bit a lot late with today's post but hopefully it will be worth the wait since it's the first of two lovely giveaway's this week!? Was that a 'Yes' I heard you murmur!? Okay then, let's get on with it shall we!?

I am sure many of you will have already have seen Mollie Makes Crochet since it has been out for a few weeks now. I didn't get to talk about it sooner thanks to all the nonsense that's been going on in my little world but I'm a firm believer in the old adage 'better late than never'! And of course it can never be too late to share my excitement about this being the very first book to feature some of my crochet designs. Eep! Yes, an actual book! It's such a thrill to be able to flick through it's pretty pages and see my creations immortalised for all to see, for years to come!


The designs I contributed include a vintage inspired doily, two retro modern potholders, an updated doily and coaster set and a bouquet of seven different flower motifs...

It's safe to say that any review I give of this book will be totally biased because, you know, I'm in it alongside a whole bunch of fellow crocheters that I admire greatly - Pip Lincolne (Meet at Mikes), Beata Basik (Rosehip), Ilaria Chiaratti (IDA Interior Lifestyle), Anita Mundt (A Creative Dimension) and Cara Medus! So with that in mind I'll try to keep my review a little more factual...

First of all this is a book aimed squarely at beginners. The patterns make up the first half of the book and are simple enough for newbies to learn the basics via a few sweet designs. Alongside my doily, potholder and flower contributions there are place mats, blankets, gadget covers, pillows, edgings and amigurumi style Russian dolls. They cover a wide range of techniques including working in the round, basic hexagons and squares, joining motifs, puff and popcorn stitches, increasing and decreasing, simple lace work, the aforementioned amigurumi and more. While the second half of the book is dedicated entirely to explaining these techniques as well as lots of other crochet basics. It's fairly in depth with plenty of clear illustrations and photos of the projects side by side so it is easy to compare the two.

As for the look and feel of the book, it's a hardcover with spiral bound pages inside which I'm not overly fond of. I think this makes it feel like a manual instead of a lovely craft book and in my mind doesn't really fit with Mollies Makes overall informal and pretty style. That aside, Rachel Whiting's photography throughout the book is really, really pretty! She has totally captured the playful feel of the colourful projects which are beautifully presented. The styling is very much Scandi inspired with lots of painted white backdrops to really make the colours pop and tons of vintage props to compliment crochets retro heritage. Think granny chic at it's prettiest!

That was okay, not too gushy right!?

Right then let's talk 'giveaway'! I have a spare copy of Mollie Makes Crochet just floating around my studio and I would very much like to send it off to a new home where it will be able to work it's magic and teach someone a few new tricks! So if you, or someone you know, are longing to learn to crochet and would like an early Christmas present, here's how you could get one...

First share the below picture via Pinterest, Facebook or the like with a link to this blog post, then come back here with a link to your 'share' and tell me why you want this book. Simple!

Edited to add: For folks not sure how to link to their 'share' page - all you need to do is copy the URL (the web address starting 'http' or 'www') for the page you shared my picture on and paste it into a comment on this blog post. I hope that makes sense for everyone?

This giveaway is open worldwide and I shall randomly choose a winner in one weeks time. Good luck everyone!

Oh, but if you can't wait to get your hands on a copy you can find it in my Amazon store here.

Emma, x